Micro gas laser with laser array

Abstract

A micro gas laser that provides a very high power to size or weight ratio by including a laser array featuring common optics and common discharge structures. The gas laser includes a laser housing enclosing a supply of laser gas and elongated first and second electrodes. The electrodes are parallel to each other and form a rectangular discharge section between them. Two elongated bore separators extend between the first and second electrodes to divide the discharge section into the three elongated resonator cavities. The bore separators are thin ceramic wafers that electrically isolate the resonator cavities from each other, but retain sufficient thermal conductivity to provide efficient diffusion cooling. The gas laser includes means to apply an electric field between the electrodes sufficient to create a laser beam in each of the three resonator cavities. In a preferred embodiment, the gas laser includes optical repositioning means located outside the resonator cavities to reconfigure the laser beam into a more closely space, triangular arrangement. The gas laser may further include a focusing element positioned to receive and focus the triangular arrangement of laser beam to a single focus spot or a cluster of foci.

I claim: 
     
       1. A gas laser comprising: an elongated laser housing enclosing a supply of laser gas;   an elongated first electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing, and positioned toward a first side of the laser housing;   an elongated second electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing parallel to and facing the first electrode surface, and positioned toward a second side of the laser housing opposite the first side, the first and second electrode surfaces defining an elongated first resonator cavity therebetween;   an elongated third electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing, the third electrode surface being positioned toward the first side of the laser housing edgewise adjacent to the first electrode surface;   an elongated fourth electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing parallel to and facing the third electrode surface, the fourth electrode surface being positioned toward the second side of the laser housing edgewise adjacent to the second electrode surface, the third and fourth electrode surfaces defining an elongated second resonator cavity therebetween;   an elongated separator extending longitudinally within the laser housing and extending laterally within the laser housing to separate the first and second resonator cavities, the separator having a lengthwise edge portion positioned between the first and third electrode surfaces and an opposite lengthwise edge portion positioned between the second and fourth electrode surfaces, the separator being electrically insulating but thermally conducive to electrically isolate the first and second resonator cavities from each other; and   an electric field source generating an electric field between the first and second electrode surfaces and between the third and fourth electrode surfaces sufficient to create a first laser beam in the first resonator cavity and a second laser beam in the second resonator cavity.   
     
     
       2. The gas laser according to claim 1 wherein the first and third electrode surfaces are part of a single first electrode and the second and fourth electrode surfaces are part of a single second electrode. 
     
     
       3. The gas laser according to claim 2, further including at least one electrically insulating and thermally conducting elongated end block extending longitudinally within the laser housing, the end block extending laterally between either the first and second electrode surfaces or the third and fourth electrode surfaces to define either the first or second resonator cavity, respectively, between end block and the separator. 
     
     
       4. The gas laser according to claim 2, further including: an elongated fifth electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing, and positioned toward the first side of the laser housing edgewise adjacent to the third electrode surface;   an elongated sixth electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing parallel to and facing the fifth electrode surface, and positioned toward the second side of the laser housing edgewise adjacent to the fourth electrode surface, the fifth and sixth electrode surfaces defining an elongated third resonator cavity therebetween; and   a second separator extending longitudinally within the laser housing and extending laterally within the laser housing to separate the second and third resonator cavities, the second separator having a lengthwise edge portion positioned between the third and fifth electrode surfaces and an opposite lengthwise edge portion positioned between the fourth and sixth electrode surfaces, the second separator being electrically insulating but thermally conductive to electrically isolate the second and third resonator cavities from each other; and   wherein the electric field source generates an electric field between the fifth and sixth electrode surfaces sufficient to create a third laser beam in the third laser cavity.   
     
     
       5. The gas laser according to claim 4, further including electrically insulating and thermally conductive elongated first and second end blocks extending longitudinally .within the laser housing, the first end block extending laterally between the first and second electrode surfaces to define the first resonator cavity between the first end block and the first separator, the second end block extending laterally between the fifth and sixth electrode surfaces to define the third resonator cavity between the second end block and the second separator. 
     
     
       6. The gas laser according to claim 4 wherein the first, second, and third laser beams are directed substantially in a first direction, and further including optical repositioning means located outside the first resonator cavity to laterally displace the first laser beam toward the third laser beam while maintaining the first laser beam upon exit from the optical repositioning means substantially in the first direction. 
     
     
       7. The gas laser according to claim 6 wherein the optical repositioning means includes a refractive element having parallel faces with an angle of incidence to the first laser beam other than zero degrees. 
     
     
       8. The gas laser according to claim 6, further including a focusing element positioned to receive and focus the displaced first, second, and third laser beams. 
     
     
       9. The gas laser according to claim 1, further including common resonator optics used for both the first and second laser beams. 
     
     
       10. The gas laser according to claim 9 wherein the common resonator optics include a planar mirror and a folding mirror for folding the first and second laser beams. 
     
     
       11. The gas laser according to claim 10 wherein the folding mirror and planar mirror are manufactured of a single optical substrate. 
     
     
       12. The gas laser according to claim 1 wherein the electric field source provides a radio frequency discharge between the first and second electrode surfaces. 
     
     
       13. A gas laser comprising: an elongated laser housing enclosing a supply of laser gas;   an elongated first electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing;   an elongated second electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing and facing the first electrode surface, the first and second electrode surfaces defining an elongated first resonator cavity therebetween;   an elongated third electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing;   an elongated fourth electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing, and facing the third electrode surface, the third and fourth electrode surfaces defining an elongated second resonator cavity therebetween;   an elongated separator extending longitudinally within the laser housing and separating the first and second resonator cavities, the separator electrically isolating the first and second resonator cavities from each other; and   an electric field source generating an electric field between the first and second electrode surfaces and between the third and fourth electrode surfaces sufficient to create a first laser beam in the first resonator cavity and a second laser beam in the second resonator cavity.   
     
     
       14. A gas laser comprising: an elongated laser housing enclosing a supply of laser gas;   an elongated first electrode extending longitudinally within the laser housing, the first electrode having an elongated first electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing and an elongated second electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing adjacent to the first electrode surface of the first electrode;   an elongated second electrode extending longitudinally within the laser housing, the second electrode having an elongated first electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing parallel to and facing the first electrode surface of the first electrode, the pair of first electrode surfaces defining an elongated first resonator cavity therebetween, and an elongated second electrode surface extending longitudinally within the laser housing parallel to and facing the second electrode surface of the first electrode and adjacent to the first electrode surface of the second electrode, the pair of second electrode surfaces defining an elongated second resonator cavity therebetween;   an elongated separator extending longitudinally within the laser housing and extending laterally between the first and second electrodes to separate the first and second resonator cavities, the separator being in thermal contact with at least one of the first or second electrodes to transfer thermal energy thereto for cooling of the laser gas in the first and second resonator cavities, the separator being electrically insulating but thermally conducive to electrically isolate the first and second resonator cavities from each other, the laser gas being in fluid communication with both the first and second resonator cavities; and   an electric field source generating an electric field between the first and second electrodes to create a first laser beam in the first resonator cavity and a second laser beam in the second resonator cavity.   
     
     
       15. A gas laser comprising: a laser housing enclosing a supply of laser gas;   an elongated first electrode extending longitudinally within the laser housing;   an elongated second electrode extending longitudinally within the laser housing and spaced apart from the first electrode;   first and second insulating members, each extending between the first and second electrodes to form a rectangular discharge section;   at least one elongated separator extending longitudinally within the laser housing and extending laterally between the first and second electrodes to divide the discharge section into at least first and second resonator cavities; and   an electric field source applying an electric radio-frequency field between the first and second electrodes sufficient to create a first laser beam in the first resonator cavity and a second laser beam in the second resonator cavity.   
     
     
       16. The gas laser according to claim 15, further including common resonator optics used for both the first and second laser beams. 
     
     
       17. The gas laser according to claim 15, further including: a second separator extending longitudinally within the laser housing and extending laterally between the first and second electrodes to further divide the discharge section into a third resonator cavity wherein the electric field source creates a third laser beam in the third resonator cavity.   
     
     
       18. The gas laser according to claim 17, further including optical repositioning means located outside the resonator cavities to laterally displace the first laser beam toward the second laser beam while maintaining the direction of the first laser beam upon exit from the optical repositioning means substantially unchanged from the direction of the first laser beam before entering the optical repositioning means. 
     
     
       19. The gas laser according to claim 18 wherein the optical repositioning means includes a refractive element having parallel faces with an angle of incidence to the first laser beam other than zero degrees. 
     
     
       20. The gas laser according to claim 18, further including a focusing element positioned to receive and focus the displaced first, second, and third laser beams. 
     
     
       21. The gas laser according to claim 15, further including optical folding means for forming the first and second resonator cavities into folded laser cavities.